Bento Box Art Re-Creates Our Fave Childhood Characters and More

Bento boxes are a great way to prepare lunches for our children. But that’s not the only purpose they serve. For one mom, bento box lunches was an outlet for her creativity.

Using Creativity to Combat Picky Eaters

Nikki Garcia is a Filipino mother who uses bento-making as a channel for her creative juices. She talked to Buzzfeed about her food creations, saying “I enjoy arts and crafts and all things creative, but with three kids, pottery, painting or scrapbooking is just not possible.”

Nikki says she has two eaty pickers. Moms will agree it’s always a challenge to prepare food for picky eaters. But through her creative bento box lunches, her children ate their food without any protest.

This mom thinks of bento lunch boxes as a painter’s blank canvas. “The possibilities are endless,” she says. But instead of brushes and paints, she has her cookie cutter, a sharp knife, and kitchen scissors as tools.

This creative mom considers the time she makes bento box lunches as her “me” time. Inspiration for her new creations come from Japanese kawaii characters or her kids’ current interests.

Food for the Eye and Stomach

Nikki “invents” every morning; and like most moms, tries to sneak veggies into her kids’ meals. Try to see if you can spot them in the images below.

Follow Nikki on Instagram to get updated on her latest bento box lunch creations.

How to Make Your Own Bento Box Lunches

If you’d like to create your own bento box lunches, here are the basic steps.

If you’d like to read rather than watch the instructions, tutorials can be found here and here (basic Japanese bento formula).

Bento making is quite doable. The ideal time to make them is in the morning. For your bento-making to be successful, remember to plan well, stock your pantry and freezer, have bento-ware on hand and ready to use, and prepare foods available at local and Asian groceries.

Half-Japanese, half-Australian blogger Jane advises us to prepare everything beforehand so all you have to do in the morning is assemble your bento box lunch. She says it only takes her less than five minutes.

What kind of bento box will you create?

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Juvy is a freelance proofreader, copy editor and writer. A nice little nook with a good book would be ideal. But concocting plans for her next drawing or DIY project will suffice while she's still busy babysitting two daughters. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on Google+.